Last night, Fireboat 8 and Airboat 8 responded to a boat in distress in the Mattawoman Creek near the old foot-bridge. Fireboat 8 arrived in the area and located a vessel stranded in shallow water. Contact was made with the occupants to confirm they had no emergent issues. The water was too shallow for the Fireboat to access. Airboat 8 was called and made its way up the creek. Six occupants were removed from the stranded vessel and transported back to Slavin’s dock. All units then returned to service.

Airboat 8 is a one-of-a-kind resource in Charles County that is used to assist people in very shallow waters. It has also been a key resource in numerous swift water and ice rescues. It’s definitely not the busiest of our resources, but it’s able to get to places where no other boats can.

If you’re interested in water rescue and want to join our team, stop by and grab an application!